Materials capable of absorbing impacts find a wide variety of uses, including protective gear and equipment such as helmets for sporting activities, motorcycles and bicycles. While significant advances have been achieved in impact-absorbing materials, the majority of fatal motorcycle and bicycle-related deaths involve head injuries, of which at least some could be prevented by improved helmet designs. American football is another example of an activity in which head injuries occur, reportedly at a rate of more than 36,000 head injuries per year.
What is needed are impact-absorbing materials that provide improved dissipation of energy. Various embodiments of the present invention do this in novel and nonobvious ways.